Produktbeschreibung
Steve Perrin, Sandy Petersen & Dan Nolte, boxed, 1985.
Why did they decide to make this the first new suppplement? This should have been released as a book, not a boxed set. Too much of a narrow subject, unless you long to be Ben Hur or Spartacus. One advantage it does have is that it is usable in both Gloranthan and Gateway settings. I wish this had been a Lunar arena somewhere in the empire. The box cover is pretty cool, especially since I've always liked griffins, but what the box needs inside is a better scenarios book to go with all the encounters. If it wasn't for Gods of Glorantha coming out in the same year, the entire year (like the AH design team) would have been shot. They even recycled the cover. Contents are:
What's in the box, 16 pgs. Contents list with game aids, tables, character and chariot sheets.
Coliseum Book, 40 pgs. Contains an arena overview with diagrams, net and trident skills background, gladiator info, chariot overkill, and solo adventuring tips. The encounters all seem shallow and the artwork is dull. Using the chariot rules would require too much complexity and record keeping. It adds new meaning to the phrase drag racing.
Creatures Book, 48 pgs. Lets copy the monsters from the boxed set Creatures Book, roll their stats and give them a gladiator slant. They are set up more as encounters and some are well done. I always root for Quok the duck and Rosco. The Minotaur picture is memorable, even if little else is.
Rangestick, a ruler for measuring chariot races. It's as flimsy as the chariot rules.
Arena Floorplan, a 22"x34" diagram. |
